The present invention relates to impact sensation. More particularly, the present invention relates to generating information as to the location and amplitude of an impact force.
The ability to sense impacts has importance in a wide range of devices. For example, impact sensation may be used in automobiles for deployment of airbags. A computer keyboard senses impact on the keys to input text information to the computer. Likewise, most controller mechanisms, be they television equipment controllers, music keyboards or gaming controllers, require some level of impact sensation.
Currently, the use of impact sensation in devices is typically limited by economic and logistic constraints. Typical impact sensory mechanisms include an array of sensors, such as the individual keys of a keyboard. Sensors which receive an impact force output a signal. The location of the sensor(s) thus indicates the location of impact. Thus, for a large impact surface, a very large array of sensors may be required to accurately sense location of the impact. Such arrays may be overly costly for many applications.
Additional methods for determining point of impact are also known. Such methods may include projectile tracking. Tracking may be visual, heat, or may include radio signal tracking. Tracking, while effective, is often uneconomical or infeasible for many applications. Likewise, determining amplitude of impact force may be difficult via tracking methods.
Due to these limitations in sensing impact locations, impact sensory systems are omitted from many surfaces where impact sensation is desired. Examples include gaming surfaces and surfaces where control or feedback is desired. Particular examples may include paintball body armor, table tennis surfaces, squash or racquetball court walls, and boxing dummies.
Hence there is a need for an improved impact location and amplitude sensory system and method. Such a system may provide economical impact data for virtually any preexisting object. Such a system may enable impact measurements in a wide range of appliances and applications where it would have never before been feasible.